Now and then, someone will point to a particular
country, such as Denmark or Italy, and remark upon the quality of their
pipe makers as a group. This may be in terms of design, finish,
mouthpieces, engineering, or what have you. Let's add another
such assessment.

I have been watching the quality of sandblasting
by Americans for the last couple of years, and I don't think there can
be any doubt about it. The best sandblasted pipes OVERALL are now
coming out of the USA. I don't say this with any sort of
nationalistic pride, only as an observation. On the whole,
American pipe makers are making some simply astonishing, amazing, and
sometimes staggering sandblasts. Compare them, OVERALL, to the
brands well known for their blasts, such as Dunhill, Castello, Ashton,
or any other brands from any country, and, in my opinion, one sees that
there has been little real improvement in blasting quality in those
countries in recent years. All one has to do to be convinced of
certain American pipe makers' strides and advancements in this aspect
of pipe making is to check out recent efforts by the following list of
pipe makers, in no particular order. These guys make deep
sandblasts and somehow achieve fine detail within the graining that
enhances the perception of depth. Their individual styles are
distinctive, as sandblasts go. When looking at the pipes of these
makers, one immediately recognizes that a sandblast to these guys is
not just a tragic solution for a pipe with a flaw. That flaw is
viewed as an opportunity to produce a unique and fantastic
finish. These American pipe makers deserve to be acknowledged for
their great work: Jim Cooke (Best in the World); Paul Bonaquisti; Lee
Van Erck; Larry Roush; Trever Talbert; John Eells; Brian Ruthenberg.

Like I said, this list is in no particular
order. Please forgive me for those pipe makers whom I have
forgotten to name in the list above, and I am sure there are
several. Allow me to add an additional point. A well-known
collector has stated in print in the last year that Jim Cooke's
sandblasted pipes are actually "sand carved." Some have
interpreted this as implying that Jim's method has deteriorated the
sandblasting art into a form of rustication. I trust that this
was not the collector's actual intention, but it might have been the
result of his comment nevertheless. This is misleading and
possibly denigrates and negates Jim's excellent work, which I believe
is simply the best there is.

Actually, the remark is quite puzzling in many
ways. When one thinks about it, all sandblasted pipes are "sand
carved" to some degree. That is why the blasting is done!
In making a single pipe, Jim spends from 12 to 15 hours on sandblasting
alone, quite in addition to all the other steps that go into that
pipe. Does this make his sandblasts somehow different than most
others? Of course it does! He seems to consistently bring
out more detail, depth, and definition, in my opinion, than
anyone. That is why his pipes are so damned much in demand.
Jim Cooke is the "Bo Nordh of the Blast." Jim does not create
false graining patterns with his technique. In fact, he told me
that his first pass is done specifically to expose the grain patterns,
which he further exposes and details in his following steps. Jim
does not do any sort of rustication using the blasting process, other
than the blasting itself, which could be seen as the most true and pure
form of rustication there is.

To hell with all those dremels and weird
rustication tools. Rusticated pipes, while attractive, cannot
begin to compare with the awe-inspiring, stark, austere, naked beauty
of the great blast. What the American blasters are doing is not
just providing a finish. They are bringing the true and often
hidden graining patterns of our beloved briar into the boldest relief,
pleasing to the eye and palpable to the touch. The
highly-treasured, steeply-priced, smooth straight grains are incapable
of providing such an experience.

Please understand that I am aware that there are always
individual exceptions to this view of sandblasting expressed here, such
as the occasional Dunhill or Ashton. But OVERALL, I believe that
American pipe makers have become the best in the world in this
category, by far.

By
the way, I have been trying to get Jim Cooke to make me a smooth,
perfect straight grain for several years now. He just snickers
and says, "Those are my seconds.".